1 Getting Started
Sensory Reader uses your device camera to capture text from the world around you and read it aloud. It supports over 50 languages with automatic detection and word-by-word highlighting as it speaks.
Quick Start
- Grant camera access when prompted. Sensory Reader needs your camera to capture text.
- Point your camera at the text you want to read -- a book, sign, menu, label, or anything with text.
- Tap the capture button (the large circle at the bottom) to take a photo.
- Tap "OCR" to recognise the text in your image, or crop the image first.
- Tap the play button to hear the text read aloud with word-by-word highlighting.
📷 Using the Camera
The camera view fills your entire screen so you can see exactly what you are capturing.
Camera Controls
🔍 Pinch to Zoom
Use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in (up to 10x) or zoom out on your subject. Great for reading small print from a distance.
⏺ Capture Button
Tap the large circular button at the bottom of the screen to take a photo. The display freezes instantly so you can see what was captured.
🖼 Photo Library
Tap the photo library icon to select an existing image from your device instead of using the camera.
⚙ Settings
Access app settings from the gear icon to view your purchase status and configure preferences.
✂ Cropping Images
After capturing an image, you can crop it to focus on the specific text you want to recognise.
- Tap the Crop button after capturing an image to open the crop editor.
- Drag the corners or edges of the crop rectangle to resize the area.
- Drag the centre of the crop area to move it around the image.
- Pinch to zoom the underlying image for more precise cropping.
- Tap "Apply" to crop the image, or "Cancel" to go back.
Cropping to just the text area improves OCR accuracy and speeds up processing. Remove any images, borders, or non-text elements for the best results.
📄 Text Recognition (OCR)
Sensory Reader uses advanced on-device Optical Character Recognition to extract text from images. All processing happens on your device -- nothing is sent to the cloud.
- Capture or select an image containing text.
- Optionally crop the image to focus on the text area.
- Tap the OCR button (document icon). A loading indicator shows while text is being recognised.
- View and edit the recognised text. You can correct any errors before reading or sharing.
The language of the text is automatically detected and shown below the text area. This determines which voice is used for text-to-speech.
🔊 Text-to-Speech
Once text has been recognised, Sensory Reader can read it aloud with real-time word-by-word highlighting so you can follow along.
Playback Controls
▶ Play
Starts reading the text from the beginning. Each word is highlighted as it is spoken.
⏸ Pause / Resume
Pause speech at any time and resume from where you left off.
⏹ Stop
Stop speech completely and reset to the beginning.
🎤 Voice Selection
Choose from available voices for each language. Your preference is saved for next time.
Personal Voice (iOS 17+)
If you have created a Personal Voice on your device (Settings > Accessibility > Personal Voice), Sensory Reader can use it to read text in your own voice. Grant permission when prompted.
🌐 Language Support
Sensory Reader automatically detects the language of scanned text and selects an appropriate voice. Over 50 languages are supported, including:
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hebrew
Hindi
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Slovak
Spanish
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
Some enhanced voices may need to be downloaded via your device settings (Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices). Enhanced voices offer higher quality speech.
📤 Sharing
Share captured images or recognised text using the iOS share sheet. You can send content via Messages, Mail, AirDrop, Notes, or any other app that supports sharing.
- Share an image: Tap the share icon from the captured image view to share the photo.
- Share text: Tap the share icon from the OCR results view to share the recognised text.
⭐ Free Scans & Upgrading
Sensory Reader includes 25 free scans so you can try the app before purchasing. After that, a one-time purchase unlocks unlimited scans forever -- no subscription required.
What You Get
Free Version
25 scans with full access to all features: camera, crop, OCR, text-to-speech, sharing, and all languages.
Full Version
Unlimited scans forever. One-time purchase, no subscription. Includes Personal Voice support.
Restoring Purchases
If you reinstall the app or switch devices, tap "Restore Purchases" on the upgrade screen or in Settings to recover your purchase.
💡 Tips for Best Results
Lighting: Ensure the text is well-lit and evenly illuminated. Avoid harsh shadows across the text.
Focus: Hold your device steady and ensure the text is in sharp focus before capturing.
Angle: Capture text straight-on rather than at an angle for the most accurate results.
Contrast: Dark text on a light background works best. Avoid low-contrast combinations.
Cropping: Crop your image to include only the text area. Removing photos, logos, and decorative elements improves accuracy.
Editing: You can edit recognised text to correct any errors before using text-to-speech or sharing.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the app need camera access?
Sensory Reader uses your camera to capture images of text for recognition. Without camera access, you can still select images from your photo library.
Is my data sent to the cloud?
No. All text recognition and speech synthesis happens entirely on your device. Your images and text never leave your phone.
How do I change the voice?
When viewing recognised text, tap the voice selection button to choose from available voices for the detected language. Your preference is saved automatically.
What if the text recognition is inaccurate?
Try improving lighting, holding the camera steady, and cropping to just the text area. You can also edit the recognised text manually before using text-to-speech.
Can I use the app without an internet connection?
Yes. All features work offline since processing happens on-device. An internet connection is only needed for the initial purchase.
How do I get enhanced voices?
Go to your device Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices. Select a language, then download an enhanced or premium voice for higher quality speech.
What is Personal Voice?
Personal Voice is an iOS 17+ feature that lets you create a synthetic version of your own voice. Once set up on your device, Sensory Reader can use it to read text aloud in your voice. Set it up in Settings > Accessibility > Personal Voice.
How do I restore my purchase on a new device?
Open Sensory Reader on your new device and tap "Restore Purchases" on the upgrade screen or in the Settings view. Make sure you are signed in with the same Apple ID you used for the original purchase.